The only outstanding state-wide race in California that has not been officially declared a victory for the Democratic candidate, just got one step closer, as the LA Weekly blog just called the AG Race for Democrat San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. Harris who is half-African American and half Indian American will become the first woman,first African American, first Indian American and first Asian American to hold the office.
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According to the LA Weekly, Harris leads Cooley by 51,141 votes out of 8.6 million. You can check out the official website here. There are only about 124,000 left to be counted. Cooley would have to win about 80% of these to overcome the lead, but these are coming from counties that have broken in Harris's favor.
With similar margins, mainstream outlets called the other statewide races for Dems, and so the LA Weekly has called this one for Harris.
Her victory will complete the Democratic sweep of California statewide races in this otherwise Republican year.
It also has several immediate consequences. Harris has taken the same position on Proposition 8 as current AG Jerry Brown, namely that she will not defend it. Cooley had promised to defend the law which makes a prohibition on same sex marriage part of California's constitution.
Cooley had also vowed to challenge Obama's health care initiative, while Harris strongly supports it.
While Harris has not sought the Death Penalty in San Francisco, she has vowed to uphold the law as AG. Nonetheless, one hopes that she will exercise more discretion in defending death sentences than Cooley who sent more people to death row from Los Angeles last year, than did the whole state of Texas.
Harris is also more likely to prosecute environmental crimes.
All in all, cause for celebration and hope.